Sweetener compositions

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a sweetener composition comprising a combination of cellulose and a sweetener carbohydrate formed from a combination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose, and a method for the preparation thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/250,088, filed on Sep. 30, 2011, which claims the benefit of priority from Israeli Patent Application Ser. No. 208594, filed on Oct. 10, 2010, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sweetener compositions. More particularly, the present invention relates to carbohydrate sweetener compositions incorporating cellulose therein, and to methods for the preparation thereof.

More particularly, according to the present invention, there is now provided a sweetener composition comprising a combination of cellulose and a sweetener carbohydrate formed from a combination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, it has now been surprisingly discovered that cellulose as such, available abundantly as cotton linters, is molecularly dispersible in molten carbohydrates. Using glucose, fructose and sucrose, it is possible to form melts that can be used as cellulose dispersants and thereby to form novel solid compositions that are obtained on cooling and which are sweeter than the same sweeteners with no cellulose dispersed therein.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, said compositions are formed from a combination of glucose, fructose and cellulose.

In especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, said compositions are dispersible in water and preferably, are substantially water-insoluble.

Since it is intended that the sweetener compositions be incorporated in food products, preferably said compositions are food compatible: carbohydrates and cellulose used in their manufacture are of food grade quality.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a sweetener composition comprising a combination of cellulose and a sweetener carbohydrate formed from a combination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose, comprising forming a eutectic melt mixture of a combination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose, introducing cellulose into said carbohydrate melt mixture, and cooling the same.

As is known, cellulose consists of linear poly-glucose molecules that assemble linearly to form the fibers that characterize it. Hydrogen bonds, in which the hydrogen of a hydroxyl group interacts weakly with the oxygen of another hydroxyl group assures the plurality of attachments that regulate the overall strength of cellulosic fibers. It is hypothesized that glucose, as well as sucrose and fructose, if one had them in a liquid state allowing for intimate contact with cellulose fibers, provide for a large volume for hydrogen bonds and thereby for separation of cellulosic fibers into slimmer fibrils and down to the poly-glucose molecules; a process of dispersion will take place resulting effectively in dissolution of the cellulose in the liquid carbohydrates.

Thus, liquid carbohydrates are obtained by melting, e.g., sucrose has a melting point of 185° C., however, the melting is accompanied with decomposition, usually referred to as caramelization. Glucose has a melting point of 146° C., and fructose has a melting point of 104° C., and therefore these provide for better relative stability.

In 1967, F. H. C. Kelly and D. W. Brown published an article entitled “PHASE EQUILIBRIA IN THE SYSTEM SUCROSE-GLUCOSE-FRUCTOSE” (J. appl. Chem., 1967, Vol. 17, May) in which the melting points of mixtures of sucrose, glucose and fructose were determined to cover the full range of concentrations in the two and three component systems.

In said article, the relevant teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, the following eutectics were identified:

-   -   (1) Sucrose-glucose at 0.3 mass fraction sucrose and 137° C.;     -   (2) Sucrose-fructose at 0.3 mass fraction sucrose and 97° C.;     -   (3) Glucose-fructose at 0.27 mass fraction glucose and 93.2° C.;         and     -   (4) Sucrose (0.175 ±, 0.02) m.f., glucose (0225±0.025) m.f. and         fructose (0.600±0.005) f.f., with a temperature of 93° C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments in the following examples so that aspects thereof may be more fully understood and appreciated, it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, the following examples which include effective embodiments will serve to illustrate the practice of this invention, it being understood that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of instructive discussion of effective embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of formulation procedures as well as of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

27 grs of glucose powder and 73 grs of fructose powder were intimately mixed in a stainless cylindrical cup of 300 ml volumetric capacity provided with a brush-like agitator sweeping the cylinder walls. The cup was placed in a thermostatically regulated oil bath set to 94° C. Liquid melt droplets formed on the inner wall of the cylinder slowly but at an increasing rate, the whole of the glucose/fructose mixture collecting as moderately viscous melt in the bottom part of the cylinder in 35 minutes.

While continuing the agitation 5 grs of cellulose in the form of finely cut cotton linters were added in small portions over 12 minutes and the agitation continued for 10 minutes more. The cellulose dissolved completely as evidenced by complete clarity of the melt.

The melt solidified and was ground to form sweeteners particles.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative examples and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments and examples be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a sweetener composition comprising forming a eutectic melt mixture consisting of a combination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose, introducing cellulose into said eutectic melt mixture to form a cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture, and cooling said cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture thereby producing said sweetener composition.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said forming comprises melting said combination of at least two carbohydrates at a melting temperature less than a melting temperature of any one of said carbohydrates.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of cellulose to carbohydrate melt mixture is 5:100 wt/wt.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture is clear.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cellulose is dissolved in said cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cellulose is cotton linters.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least two sweetener carbohydrates are glucose and fructose.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a ratio of glucose to fructose is 27:73 wt/wt.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said forming comprises melting said combination of carbohydrates at a melting temperature of 93° C.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least two sweetener carbohydrates are sucrose and glucose.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a ratio of sucrose to glucose is 3:7 wt/wt.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said forming comprises melting said combination of carbohydrates at a melting temperature of 137° C.
 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least two sweetener carbohydrates are sucrose and fructose.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a ratio of sucrose to fructose is 3:7 wt/wt.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said forming comprises melting said combination of carbohydrates at a melting temperature of 97° C.
 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least two sweetener carbohydrates are sucrose, glucose, and fructose.
 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a ratio of sucrose:glucose:fructose is (0.175±0.02) sucrose to (0.225±0.025) glucose to (0.600±0.005) fructose wt/wt/wt.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said forming comprises melting said combination of carbohydrates at a melting temperature of 93° C.
 19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising agitating the eutectic melt mixture or the cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture.
 20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising grinding said sweetener composition to form sweetener particles. 